Keep Holding On
by Fallen-Angels01
Summary: When an attack leaves the Chosen Children powerless to fight, how far will they go to protect the ones they love? Without their leader and limited strength, can they escape their demons and inner conflicts? Read to find out whether our heroes can keep holding onto their strengths.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! Your friendly girl Amna here with her first fanfic ever and it's going to be fairly dark. One thing I will say is PLEASE give me your feedback. If you're too shy to review, send me a PM or e-mail so I can see what you like and disliked in the story so I can improve. Also, just a note, I know Ken refers to Daisuke as 'Motomiya' in the series but quite some time has passed (won't say when as that would kill the suspense) so they'll be on a more first-name basis just so you know. I hope you all enjoy this story! Thanks to Aiko Isari for betareading this chapter. I DO NOT OWN DIGIMON. **

_**Chapter 1: Fears**_

_Tick-tock. Tick-tock._

Takeru Takaishi paced the room looking over at the clock every few minutes, his knuckles white from the anxiousness he felt. The blond hated sitting back and doing nothing. Two of his dear friends, Daisuke Motomiya and Ken Ichijouji were trapped in a warped dimension which they had been pulled into about half an hour ago. Their younger group, which included Daisuke, Ken, himself, Iori, Hikari and Miyako had been discussing on how to deal with menacing digimon which kept on causing terror in the real world when suddenly a purple whirlpool appeared. It had attempted to suck only Ken in at first, but Daisuke had quickly grabbed a hold of his best friend's arm and they both had been sucked inside.

The rest of them had called up Koushiro, who had come along with Taichi but so far they had nothing. Hikari sat with her head in her arms, trying to keep thinking positive. Taichi and Takeru had attempted to give her some hope that their friends would be fine but all words had been lost on her. Chibimon had the most downcast expression of all of them, he hadn't been able to react at a high enough speed to help Daisuke. The guilt seen in the normally cheerful digimon's eyes was heartbreaking. Iori and Miyako had it the worst though. Miyako looked on the verge of breaking down while Iori had a solemn expression on their face. Not only were two of their friends now missing but their digimon Hawkmon and Armadimon still hadn't been found. Of course, the same could be said for all of the digimon except for Patamon, Tailmon, Wormmon and Chibimon but things seemed to be just getting worse since this enemy appeared.

They still didn't even know who the enemy was. Takeru knew since he was the Chosen Child of Hope he should help keep everyone's spirits up but he didn't know how to. There was only so much he could do when everyone seemed to be losing hope. Things weren't going in their favour and for once there seemed no exit out of there.

Unable to stand remaining quiet any longer, he stepped forward where Koushirou was attempting to figure out how to get Daisuke and Ken out of the warped dimension.

"Koushirou-san, have you figured anything out?" Takeru asked, trying to keep the borderline panic out of his voice but he couldn't help it. He and Daisuke may fight a lot but he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he never saw him again. No, he shouldn't think that. Daisuke would never give up no matter what it was. He had proved that in the battle with BelialVamdemon, plus they had to believe in him. Still, this waiting was making them all edgy. His palms were sweating and his knuckles were white with anxiousness.

Koushirou tilted his head to the side to meet Takeru's eager and anxious eyes, sighing. Honestly, sometimes being the Bearer of Knowledge meant you had to give bad news something which Koushirou hated doing.

"Takeru-kun...I've managed to pin-point their locations in the warped dimension, however I cannot seem to understand how to find an escape route for them." Koushirou said, his expression downcast. Guilt clearly shown in his eyes, wishing he could do more.

Taichi reached over, placing a hand on his shoulder trying to offer some comfort. Koushirou was trying so hard for them all like he always did and he should know they all supported him. Taichi was worried about Daisuke and Ken as well as Agumon but really, Koushirou was only a human not a miracle-worker, so he couldn't solve everything.

"Don't worry, Koushirou, just try your best." Taichi assured him with a smile. "If anyone can help Daisuke right now it's you. I believe in you."

Koushirou gave a small smile, Taichi was probably his closest friend in all of the Chosen Children and it was nice to know despite his failures in helping the Younger Chosen lately, his friend still had faith in him.

"Thank you." was all he replied before turning back to the computer.

Hikari, despite the situation couldn't help but smile at the bond between her older brother and Koushirou. Even now, when the computer genius lost faith in himself, Taichi never lost faith in him. It was his courage and Takeru's hope that had kept her going even in the darkest of times but now as much as she wanted to hold onto that, she was genuinely scared. She knew Daisuke would do his best to protect both himself and Ken but he could be reckless sometimes and she didn't want him getting hurt in the process.

A bright light flashing distracted her and she frowned, her heart thumping loudly in her chest as the computer began acting odd. A buzzing sound was coming from it and a blue whirpool appeared which looked like a portal. Before anyone could react, Ken fell out of it, coughing and spluttering. On his left arm, his shirt was ripped and he had a large gash running down it. Blood trickled out of the wound and the boy was pale in the face.

The younger team immediately leapt into action. Takeru moved forward along with Hikari, both of them catching Ken with both of their arms when he toppled over. Koushirou immediately stood up, pushing his computer chair forward and the Chosen of Hope and Light helped him into it, before both gazing at the whirlpool but to their shock and horror, the portal that had appeared had vanished.

"Daisuke-san!" Iori was the first to cry out, alarm coming from his voice. He was pale in the face and shaking. Despite now being 16 years of age, right now he resembled a small, lost child which was strange considering he was usually considered to be the one acting more mature than his usual age. But right now, he was anything but calm and composed. He turned to Ken.

"Where's Daisuke-san?" The younger boy demanded to know, ready to start bombarding the other with questions. A part of him felt guilty for doing so since Ken didn't appear to be in much a good condition himself to be answering questions but right now his concern for their leader over-weighed that feeling of guilt.

"Iori-kun..." Takeru admonished gently, he didn't blame Iori's actions because he felt like doing the same but they had to tend to Ken first who still appeared to be in trauma. He shook his head lightly towards his Jogress Partner hoping he would understand the subtle message that he was trying to give. He turned towards Ken putting a gentle hand on the indigo-haired boy's arm causing him to jump. The startled and lost look in his eyes told Takeru that Ken had not heard a single word that Iori had spoken.

"Ichijouji-kun...I understand I'm not as close to you as Daisuke-kun is." Takeru began and was startled to see tears come to the boy's eyes at Daisuke's name which made him have a sinking feeling about his currently missing friend but pushed it aside to help Ken. "But I want to help you and Daisuke-kun. Please tell us...what happened?"

Ken took a shuddering breath as Koushirou wrapped some tissues around his arm while Tai was calling Jyou to come over to his house with some medical supplies.

"Daisuke...he...saved...I...hurt...darkness...fade out..." Ken was barely forming a coherent sentence but one thing Takeru did make out for certain was that Daisuke had somehow saved Ken and managed to send him back to them but why hadn't he been able to come back himself? His hands immediately shot out to catch Ken as he passed out completely and he frowned, his eyes widening. His trembling hands became more firm so his friend wouldn't topple over.

"What happened to him?" Takeru asked, immediately hoping the other boy was all right. Hikari reached over, trying to get a pulse, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it.

"It's all right, he's just unconscious." Hikari assured her best friend causing his demeanor to relax as it had tensed up even further when Ken had passed out completely. Throughout this whole time she had been watching, not saying anything for fear she would start crying. Her eyes had filled with tears and her hands were shaking slightly. The brunette wanted to bring some comfort to her friend, but words weren't coming to her so she had just placed a hand on his shoulder, massaging it gently when he had begun speaking. Tears began cascading down her cheeks, but she quickly wiped them away. The brunette convinced herself that crying wouldn't help anyone. Right now, she had to be strong. Like her brother many times before her, she needed to be strong to help those around her. She squeezed the indigo-haired boy's shoulder, letting him know she was there.

"Izumi-senpai," Miyako said speaking after what seemed like an eternity especially for her, which was surprising considering she was usually quite talkative but ever since this whole situation took place, even she didn't know how to react. She wanted to run away but knew this wasn't just some game she could just stop playing. This was serious business. Lives were at stake if she didn't do something.

"Could you try and find a way to re-open that portal?" Miyako queried when Koushirou looked at her. He frowned a little at her question, he turned back towards the computer, typing in a few words. His focus was sorely on what was happening on the screen and he had tuned out everything around him, something which was a habit of is. Finally he turned back around and nodded towards Miyako.

"Yes, Miyako-kun however the portal will only remain open for 30 seconds." He informed her and Miyako nodded slowly before turning to the others who were watching the conversation between the two computer geniuses.

"We can handle it if Patamon and Tailmon are up for a battle." Miyako said her gaze stopping at Takeru, Hikari, Patamon and Tailmon respectively. Right now, they were the only ones who stood some chance of them being able to help Daisuke since Chibimon couldn't digivolve without him and Wormmon was probably still stuck in the other dimension since he wasn't here with Ken.

Iori frowned slightly at this, not liking the idea much.

"Miyako-san, that's dangerous, we should have a plan first!" Iori protested. Being a holder of the Digimentals of Knowledge and Faith taught him to be both strategic and cautious before going ahead with something.

Miyako was about to argue that the situation was dire right now and they didn't have time for a plan but Takeru cut in before the argument could ensue.

"I have a plan." Takeru said catching everyone's attention except Taichi and Koushirou, who were discussing about Ken. "Patamon and Tailmon can distract the main enemy, whatever digimon or creature is causing this. The rest of us will in that time try to help Daisuke-kun in whatever he's trapped in. Ken mentioned something about darkness and fading out, so if the digimon is distracted by our digimon, it will give us enough time to help Daisuke-kun."

Miyako nodded in agreement.

"Bingo! That's a good plan!" The purple-haired girl exclaimed trying to bring back some enthusiasm in the group. Some optimism was needed in the group and since Daisuke wasn't here, she had to take over the job. Iori sighed, but did agree it did seem like the best plan at the moment. Hikari, however was frowning a little.

"I won't deny I'm scared because things haven't been going according to our plans lately but..." Hikari sighed a little. "I really want to help Daisuke-kun. I'm worried about him. What about Ichijouji-kun? He's in no condition to come with us." She took a tissue from Koushirou, wiping the sweat off Ken's face. His anxiety was still present and his face quite reddened from apparently having had been crying.

"He'll want to go." Hikari turned to see Taichi looking over at them with a small smile. A frown marred the brunette's beautiful features as she moved to protest.

"Onii-chan, he's hurt and..." Hikari began but Taichi spoke before she could continue.

"They're best friends." Taichi responded to her. "I know you and Takeru would do the same for each other. I'd do the same for Koushirou and Yamato. Perhaps you should at least wait till Jyou gets here. He'll be here in a few minutes."

All the Younger Chosen didn't respond to that but their facial expressions were enough to show their anxiety. Takeru's face was pale, his eyes bloodshot and gaze unfocused and looking around. Miyako was chewing on a lock of her hair and tapping her foot. Hikari's eyes were filled with tears, her hands trembling and gaze downcast. Iori was glancing between Ken's current condition and the computer that Koushirou had. Of course they wanted to take Ken along and even wait if they had to, but they could be losing precious time to save Daisuke. As selfish as it sounded, it was a risk none of them were willing to take.

Hikari frowned, sighing a little and glancing at Tailmon.

"What do you think?" Hikari asked her best friend. It seemed their team was too undecided right now to come up with anything.

The feline digimon frowned, glancing at Patamon for a good few seconds. Their eyes met and she realised it was small but there was still a small ray of hope emanating from his eyes. He gave her a small smile and that smile lit up the small darkness that had formed in her heart. She turned back to Hikari.

"I say we wait," Tailmon said softly. "Patamon and I are willing to fight till the end either way but both Daisuke and Ken are our precious friends. I know, somehow Ken can help us save Daisuke too. We need to work together and no matter how much time goes by, we'll succeed. It's what's always led us to victories hasn't it? Even when we were turned to pieces of data." She gave her partner a confident smile, although it was slightly faltered due to the nagging doubts that were still lingering at the back of her head.

Hikari smiled a little at that. She could see the others still being a little reluctant and reached over, taking each of Takeru's and Miyako's hand, causing both to look up at her.

"Let's wait," Hikari encouraged them softly. "And keep the light in our hearts alive, ne Takeru-kun?" She gave him a soft smile, looking into his eyes. Takeru looked back and felt as if their roles were reversed somehow. Her smile gave him strength and her courage gave him hope. Somehow just looking into her beautiful eyes made him feel as if things would end up okay. The blond returned this gesture by squeezing the brunette's hand and nodded in agreement.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone, Amna here again with her second chapter! Remember, your feedback means everything to me as it lets me know what I'm doing right and wrong since it's my first time writing a fanfic. If there are things you like, it makes me feel I'm doing something right! If there are things you dislike, it tells me there are things that need improving. All in all, here's the second chapter. I also would like to thank everyone for their constructive reviews and relax everyone! You'll get background soon! Also, Miss A, moving the shift-focus mainly to one character. A huge thanks to AspiringWriterGirl for betareading this and helping me with description.**

**Chapter 2: Inner Turmoil**

Jyou arrived about 5 minutes later with his medical supplies. He applied some anti-septic cream and began cleaning the wounds before wrapping Ken's arm tightly in bandages. Ken stirred slightly causing Takeru and Hikari to rush back to his side, each taking a seat beside him. The indigo-haired boy opened his eyes before bolting upright, frantically looking around. He suddenly clutched his arm and groaned through the shooting pain which coursed through it.

"Ichijouji-kun, are you alright?" Hikari cried, desperation and concern ringing in her voice. "You're still hurt." She knew he was feeling lost and worried, but his current condition was alarming. His face was now pale and white, his eyes downcast and downtrodden. Hikari felt like she knew that Ken had experienced something horrible, she just hoped it was not as bad as world where the dark ocean was.

"But Hikari-san...Daisuke, he's still trapped in the other world...He...he got me out of that horrible place but...Somehow, wait, but he's still trapped there...I have to save him!" Ken insisted, his voice cracking. He blinked hard trying to hold back tears, because of protecting him, Daisuke was trapped. Ken had to save Daisuke, he had to. In the past, Daisuke had always saved him and now when it was Daisuke who was trapped, all he could do was cry about it. The indigo-haired Chosen Child wiped away his tears, his fists clenching at his own helplessness.

"Calm down, Ichijouji-kun," Takeru said softly, trying to sound reassuring. "Koushirou-san has found a way to open a portal to the warped dimension but it will only remain open for 30 seconds. You're still badly injured, I think you would be safer here."

Takeru placed a hand on Ken's shoulder as he noticed Ken's eyes lit up when Takeru explained there was a way to open a portal to the warped dimension but frowned as his injuries were mentioned.

"Of course I have to go," Ken protested quietly. "Daisuke means a lot to me, I can't leave him alone when he needs me the most." Ken felt his voice get louder. He could tell that he was being impulsive but right now, it didn't matter. Daisuke was all alone, trapped inside there with perhaps no way out.

"Ken, your health comes first," Jyou spoke up sternly, his eyes going back and forth between Ken and the other younger chosen. Of course, he understood why Ken was behaving like that, but as his friend and a medical student, he couldn't allow Ken to go ahead with this. "I'm sorry but I can't allow you to go ahead with the others. I know Daisuke means a lot to you, but even he wouldn't want you putting your health in danger like this. Takeru, Hikari-kun, the two of you should know better than to even consider this request."

Jyou raised his eyebrows at the pair causing Hikari to instantly remember the danger that she had put the others in when she caught a fever on her first time in the digital world.

Ken frowned, making a noise of protest at this from the back of his throat.

"But it's Daisuke!" Ken protested, not caring how injured he was right now. He glanced at his friends helplessly, silently begging them to let him help.

Takeru sighed. Deep down, he would have wanted to go back for Hikari if she was trapped in some warped dimension. He knew that since the moment she disappeared to the Dark Ocean dimension. Despite the fact that he wanted to convince Ken to stay back and let him, Hikari and the others to handle things, he knew he would have acted just like Ken if someone as close to him as Hikari was on her own, cold and lost somewhere, no matter where she was. Looking at the girl in question, he reached for her hand, causing the brunette to look up. Their eyes met and she gave him a weak smile before nodding slowly. The blond sighed in resignation knowing it was only right to let Ken come with them.

"Jyou-san, I know Ichijouji-kun is still injured," Takeru said softly, glancing between Jyou and Ken. "But he won't be able to live with himself if he lets us go and something happens to Daisuke-kun. I'm not saying we'll fail..." His voice almost turned hesitant at this, considering their past record and he subconsciously glanced around, biting his lower lip. "But if we don't manage to get to Daisuke-kun and something happens, Ken is just going to blame himself for it all."

He remembered Daisuke saying the same to Ken once before. Daisuke had told him that if he had let Ken go at the time and he never returned, he would always regret it. The blond could see the hesitation on Jyou's face and saw him clench his fist, showing it was a hard decision for him to make but finally, Takeru saw Jyou's eyes soften.

"All right," the doctor-in-training gave in with a sigh before reaching into his bag and taking out a few painkiller tablets. He handed two of them to each of the younger team. "This is a pain-reliever tablet that can be taken without water. If Ken appears in too much pain, give it to him. I've given some to Ken to keep, just in case you guys get seperated in there. Make sure he takes it, ok?" Jyou waited for a nod from the younger team.

Ken smiled a little, his whole face lighting up and he glanced back to Takeru, sending him a thankful look.

"Of course, Jyou-san," Ken agreed immediately.

Takeru released Hikari's hand, he had not let go of it since he got it not long ago, and walked over to Ken to support him from one side. Hikari immediately got the message and went to his other side, offering her support. Miyako moved besides Hikari and Iori moved besides Takeru, all of them ready to jump in into a strange world on the signal. Takeru did feel slightly tense whether things would work out, but he had to believe that they would.

Koushirou noticed the five Chosen Children were ready for action and began typing furiously into his computer, code after code. The whirlpool appeared once more and the younger team prepared themselves. Takeru grabbed Ken's right hand while Hikari grasped the left. Miyako took Hikari's free hand while Iori took Takeru's one. It sucked the group in together.

* * *

Takeru felt as if he were travelling through a long vacuum and felt his hands starting to slip from both Ken and Iori. He attempted to tighten his grip but he saw a dark shadow appear, slithering itself around Iori's waist and pulling him away.

"Iori-kun!" Takeru cried, grasping his friend's scrawny wrist in an attempt to bring him back to him but something knocked into him, sending him tumbling away from Ken as well. He tasted blood in his mouth and realised that he had bit his lip so hard in his anxiety that it began to bleed. Takeru's landing on a gravelly, sharp-stoned floor wasn't exactly the most pleasant as there was a large scraped on his knee and hands because he had then extended out to avoid a nasty face plant. He groaned, trying to sit up but let out a yelp of pain, crashing back down to the ground.

"That could have gone better," The blond muttered to himself, glancing around and noticing that none of his friends were around him. The place was a little too dark and he was sure he could hear a hissing noise but there was no way of telling which direction it was coming from. "Patamon?" Takeru's heart pounded in his chest, he could feel each beat in his ears. He didn't even realize his hands were slightly shaking violently. The hissing noise was definitely not Patamon, his Digimon would never be so cruel as to play such a mean trick on him. The blond boy reached into his back pocket, bringing out his D-3 and pressing a few buttons to light up his path.

As he walked along the path, the hissing noise grew louder and Takeru noticed sweat building up on his neck. He couldn't see Daisuke anywhere nor any of the others. Had his friend gone to a place that was unreachable? His thoughts drifted to Hikari and he wondered if she was alright. The girl with the crest of light was far more vulnerable to the darkness having been targeted by the Dark World once before. This place was admittedly different it made him feel like was going to throw up. He felt a sense of suffocation, feeling like the trees that surrounded him were closing in on him. From what he could make out in the darkness, he was in a forest with trees lined up vertically coated in a luminescent green slime. Finally, after what seemed like hours of walking, Takeru came to a an abrupt stop, shivering from the cold breeze.

There was a body lying there covered in blood. With this little light, he could not make out who it was but someone was hurt. Anxious that it might be one of his friends, his legs moved faster however he stopped in his tracks when he saw who it was. His face paled and his eyes watered. His legs felt as if a Yukidarumon had used his attack on him because he couldn't move. This couldn't be...this had to be a nightmare, this world was trying to trick him somehow.

"Go to him, Child of Hope," A voice hissed and Takeru faintly recognized that the sound which had a distinct hiss to it. "This one...is precious to you...go closer, fall into despair seeing the one you love...lost forever...embrace this reality..." The darkness seemed to surround the blond causing him to stumble back, covering his ears, trying to block out the voice.

"L-leave me alone!" He cried, his voice choking up as the despair threatened to engulf him and swallow him whole. "This is a lie! It's a fake world, nothing here is real! Nothing!" Takeru wanted to run but a part of him forced him towards the body whilst another wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. He felt sharp claws grasp him by the shoulder, digging into his skin. The blond let out a loud, painful cry. The creature holding Takeru pulled him towards the body he so desperately wanted to avoid.

His hands trembled as he tried to pull himself away but the creature's grip was too strong and every second that it had a grip on him he felt himself sinking into the depths of a Dark Ocean. The Child of Hope couldn't see a way out of this, there was nothing to fight for anymore. For all he knew, Hikari, Iori, Daisuke, Miyako and Ken were safe, they must have been finished with while they had come to this warped and psychotic dark world and this creature was going to send him the same way, to his death. The blond winced as the creature threw him down besides the body.

Trembling, Takeru reached his hands and cradled the body. The blood stained Takeru's green and yellow shirt, but he didn't care. Tears cascaded down his cheeks as he realised the one person who had always protected him, always tried to shelter him from the harsh realities of life was now gone.

"O-Oniichan?" The blond asked in a desperate, broken voice. "P-please...Not you."


End file.
